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Vaccines
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Vaccine Development for Influenza Virus: 2nd Edition
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Vaccine Development for Influenza Virus: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Influenza Virus Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1427

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mingtao Zeng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center of Emphasis in Infectious Diseases, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
Interests: drug delivery; influenza vaccine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ganesh Yadaigiri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Kolkata, India
Interests: drug discovery; immunotherapy; childhood cancers; vaccines and infectious diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Influenza viruses spread rapidly and can infect animals and humans. Vaccine development for animal and human influenza viruses is essential in protecting animal and human populations from seasonal flu strains and potential pandemics. The process involves identifying the target antigens, utilizing various vaccine production methods, and conducting rigorous clinical trials to ensure the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. The addition of adjuvants can improve a vaccine’s efficacy and promote dose sparing. Adjuvants not only enhance the immune response to antigens but can also be effective against antigenically different viruses. The success of mRNA vaccine technology in the fight against COVID-19 has generated interest in applying this platform to influenza strains. In addition to traditional trivalent vaccines, quadrivalent vaccines that provide protection against four influenza strains have become widely available. High-dose vaccines are also being developed for older adults, who may have stronger immune responses. For this Special Issue, we are interested in receiving a mix of original papers and reviews, focusing on the following topics:

  1. Immune responses to influenza virus infection and vaccination;
  2. Challenges to current influenza vaccination strategies;
  3. Innovative vaccine development technologies;
  4. The application of nanotechnology in the delivery and formulation of vaccines.

Prof. Dr. Mingtao Zeng
Dr. Ganesh Yadaigiri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • influenza vaccine
  • adjuvant
  • mRNA vaccine
  • novel vaccine technology
  • nanotechnology
  • immune response
  • animal
  • human

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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18 pages, 2905 KB  
Article
A Naked Lyophilized mRNA Vaccine Against Seasonal Influenza, Administered by Jet Injection, Provides a Robust Response in Immunized Mice
by Sergei V. Sharabrin, Svetlana I. Krasnikova, Denis N. Kisakov, Mariya B. Borgoyakova, Vladimir A. Yakovlev, Elena V. Tigeeva, Ekaterina V. Starostina, Victoria R. Litvinova, Lyubov A. Kisakova, Danil I. Vahitov, Kristina P. Makarova, Ekaterina A. Volosnikova, Ksenia I. Ivanova, Alexander A. Bondar, Nadezhda B. Rudometova, Andrey P. Rudometov, Alexander A. Ilyichev and Larisa I. Karpenko
Vaccines 2026, 14(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14010056 - 2 Jan 2026
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Abstract
Background: Seasonal influenza remains a significant public health problem, and the constant antigenic drift of viruses requires regular vaccine updates. mRNA vaccines offer a promising platform for the development of new, effective influenza vaccines. Administration of the naked mRNA vaccine using a [...] Read more.
Background: Seasonal influenza remains a significant public health problem, and the constant antigenic drift of viruses requires regular vaccine updates. mRNA vaccines offer a promising platform for the development of new, effective influenza vaccines. Administration of the naked mRNA vaccine using a needle-free jet injection system further enhances its safety, reduces cost, and eliminates the need for lipid nanoparticles, which are traditionally used for mRNA delivery. Lyophilization of naked mRNA allows for long-term storage at +4 °C. Methods: We designed and produced an mRNA vaccine against seasonal influenza, designated mRNA-Vector-Flu, encoding the hemagglutinin (HA) of the A/Wisconsin/67/2022(H1N1)pdm09, A/Darwin/9/2021(H3N2), and B/Austria/1359417/2021 strains. The vaccine was lyophilized and stored for 1 month in a refrigerator (+4 °C). A comparative immunogenicity study was conducted between synthesized immediately before use prepared and lyophilized naked mRNA-Vector-Flu. The preparations were administered to BALB/c mice using a jet needleless injection twice, 3 weeks apart. Immunogenicity was assessed on day 35 of the study. Results: A comparative immunogenicity study of naked mRNA-Vector-Flu demonstrated that both the synthesized immediately before use prepared formulation and the lyophilized form, stored at +4 °C for a month, induced similar levels of virus-specific antibodies and generated a pronounced T-cell immune response. Conclusions: Delivery of the naked mRNA vaccine using a needle-free jet injection ensures a high-level immune response, which improves its safety, reduces its cost, and eliminates the need for lipid nanoparticles traditionally used for mRNA delivery. At the same time, lyophilization of the naked mRNA vaccine preserves its biological activity and ensures its storage for at least a month at +4 °C temperatures. Our results demonstrate that our proposed approach can be considered a promising direction for the development and improvement of the mRNA vaccine platform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Development for Influenza Virus: 2nd Edition)
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28 pages, 861 KB  
Systematic Review
Mapping Pediatric Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Safety and Immunogenicity Evidence: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials
by Alejandra Munoz, Briana Olivares, Yoelis Yepes-Perez, Yanping Chen, Jorge Ortiz, Maryam Amin and Mingtao Zeng
Vaccines 2026, 14(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14010032 - 26 Dec 2025
Viewed by 417
Abstract
Background: Influenza poses a significant health threat to children under nine, who are at high risk of severe complications. Influenza vaccination is a key prevention strategy, but pediatric trials use heterogeneous safety and immunogenicity outcomes, follow-up windows, and dosing strata that hinder meaningful [...] Read more.
Background: Influenza poses a significant health threat to children under nine, who are at high risk of severe complications. Influenza vaccination is a key prevention strategy, but pediatric trials use heterogeneous safety and immunogenicity outcomes, follow-up windows, and dosing strata that hinder meaningful cross-trial comparison. Objective: To map how safety and immunogenicity outcomes are defined, collected, stratified, and reported across clinical trials of seasonal influenza vaccines in healthy children aged 6 months to 8 years, and to identify reporting patterns and gaps that limit cross-trial comparability. Methods: Studies were identified through a structured PubMed/MEDLINE search first conducted 20 April 2025 and last conducted June 2025, following JBI and PRISMA 2020 guidelines. We included clinical trials reporting at least one safety outcome in healthy children 6 months to 8 years old. Heterogeneity in outcome definitions, follow-up windows, and dose strata precluded meta-analysis; we conducted a narrative and per-study synthesis. Risk of bias was evaluated with RoB 2 for randomized trials and ROBINS-I (V2) for non-randomized studies following Cochrane guidance. Descriptive and visual syntheses were utilized. Results: Of 293 records, 20 studies comprising approximately [n = 12,267] pediatric participants met the inclusion criteria. All included studies evaluated inactivated, egg-based seasonal influenza intramuscular vaccines. Reporting windows and dose handling varied widely. Vaccine-related serious adverse events (SAEs) were rare (only four events, with reported SAEs happening in children 6–35 months old immunized with quadrivalent formulations; all SAEs resolved and did not result in participant withdrawal from the study). No SAEs were reported in children 3–8 years old. Immunogenicity outcomes are presented as reported by each trial, with baseline and post-vaccination sampling days reproduced; no cross-trial synthesis was performed. Conclusions: Seasonal, inactivated intramuscular influenza vaccines show a favorable safety and immunogenicity profile in healthy children 6 months to 8 years old. However, heterogeneous outcome definitions, variable safety follow-up windows, limited dose- and priming-specific reporting, and inconsistent immunogenicity schedules substantially constrain cross-trial comparability. Funding and Registration: Primary funding was provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Grant HD109732). This review was registered in PROSPERO (registration number: CRD420251237499). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Development for Influenza Virus: 2nd Edition)
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